Dumb question, but how long can you leave water in a hot water pot?

5 comments

1. Can’t you just wait a minute or so and boil water in the morning when you need it….?

2. It only takes about 1-2 minutes to boil. It’s not at all like putting it a cold kettle on a stove and waiting. I usually just add more water and boil again when I want another cup of coffee or whatever. Never thought about leaving it on, but seems like a great way to grow listeria.

3. I’m not an expert, but I think a few days is completely fine. I mean it’s completely fine to keep refrigerated water in an open container for like 3-5 days. So a day for hot water should be no problems.

   >I’ve never personally owned one so I’m not sure how feasible this would be but I was thinking of boiling at night, keeping it on, to have hot water ready for me in the morning for tea or a coffee drip or a cup noodle if I’m too lazy to make breakfast.

   Wouldn’t it be better to get one with a timer, that starts before you wake up, instead of keeping it hot all night?

4. Read the instructions. Ask the clerk.

   I used to keep one heated up day and night, and completely empty and refill it with fresh water at least once every 24h. Never had a problem with safety or hygiene. You should be good, but follow the instructions.

5. I owned and used Zojirushi pot for years, threw it away in the end. Hot water will just stay hot, nothing will happen to it. I’ve left it for few days like that and it was fine.

   In the end to get it really hot, like for coffee, you need to use boil function anyway, which takes time and in the end isn’t much better than just, you know, throwing some water into a kettle and heating it up from scratch. Besides, that Zojirushi thing was quite an energy hog for no good reason.

   Also, just purely for aesthetic reasons, it’s ugly and it stands out in the interior in all its 1990’s best design practice plastic appliance glory.